The Summer Drink
It was a great Eid and it’s behind us now. I always love when Eid falls on the weekend as everyone is able to celebrate. It was a hot Eid though, I have been really feeling the heat as we have been in and out of the house the past few days. Today, I felt the need for a cool drink, so I prepared this lemonde basil seed drink. It’s a super refreshing and delicious drink and perfect for the summer.
Basil seeds are also called sabja, tukmaria or sweet basil. The seeds feel like squishy little balls, almost like tapioca balls in bubble tea. They make the drink thicker. Although it’s called basil seed, it does not taste like basils. The seeds are almost flavorless. There are some amazing basil seed benefits including: weight management as the fiber in the soaked seeds can reduce your appetite; reducing body heat; they work as body coolant and perfect on a hot day; and they improve digestion as they are a natural detox.
I love to make lemonade at home since I can have control over the ingredients and can easily make it a more healthy drink to enjoy. The store-bought lemonade often has a very high amount of sugar and sometimes a weird taste. The honey makes this a great healthy alternative to the white sugar recipe. Also, the honey with the fresh lemon gives it the perfect balance of sweet and citrus flavor.
The Recipe
PREPERATION 10 minutes
BOIL TIME ~ 2-4 minutes
SERVINGS Serves 3-4
Ingredients
- ½ cup fresh lemon juice
- ½ cup honey
- 2 tsp rose water
- 3 Tbsp Basil seeds
- 4 cups filtered cold water
Preparation
1. Put 3 Tbsp of basil seeds into a bowl with ½ cup of cold water. Allow to sit for 20 minutes.
2. In a saucepan, over low heat, add the honey and one cup of water and bring to a boil. Turn heat off once it comes to boil. You are just heating the honey to make sure it’s melted and mixed with the water.
3. Squeeze out about half of cup fresh lemon juice. I squeezed right onto a strainer to catch the seeds and pulp.
4. In a pitcher, add the lemon juice, honey mixture, rose water, and 2 ½ cups of cold water. Give it a stir.
5. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Add ice and pour into a glass. Add 3 Tbsp basil seeds.
6. Give it a stir. Enjoy!
Tips: Use fresh lemon juice, Make sure to taste test the lemonade mixture to see how much honey and water you will need to add to get to suit your tastebuds, decide whether you want to keep or remove the pulp. Lastly, be sure to refrigerate before serving.
Delightful!
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